Pump



June 28, 1966 R. F. scHLI-:NKER 3,257,961

PUMP

Filed April 25, 1964 j F G. 6 ';\/0 @h 36 u L/ F G, 3 INVENTOR. ROY F. SCHL NKER F G. 5 BY E ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,257,961 PUMP Roy F. Schlenker, South Attleboro, Mass., assignor to T. J. Holmes Co., Inc., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Apr. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 362,011 Claims. (Cl. 1113-178) This invention relates to an atomizer of the type used upon a. bottle of perfume or the like.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a single unit which may seal an inlet passage and an outlet passage through the mechanism.

Another object of this invention is to provide an operating plunger and ia sealing pin which move together so that any length of the stroke may be had independent of other fixed parts of the mechanism.

Another object of this invention is to provide a piston which will present a smaller iarea to the atmosphere than the area presented to the inner portion of the container from which it is to eject liquid whereby a variation in the atmospheric pressure quickly lessening the pressure outside of the container will operate to increase rather than diminish the lseal of the device.

Another object. of the invention is to eliminate the need yfor a top ball valve in the atomizer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a piston with a single lip for the closure of both the inlet and the outlet opening of the atomizer. Y

Another object of the invention is to provide a seal when the plunger is in the normal upward at rest position.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive piston which may be made in a straight pull mold with more accurate sizing.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 isa sectional view of the atomizer of this invention in its closed position;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the plunger partly depressed;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the plunger further depressed and the'piston in a position ready to pump;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sealing pin;

FIG. 5 is asectionalviewof a modified form of the latomizer; and

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of a modiied form of the sealing pin.

In proceeding with this invention, I have provided a cylinder into which liquid to be dispensed may be drawn through a check valve and provided in this cylinder a piston, a plunger for operating the piston, and a sealing pin for eife'cting a seal of the piston both through the opening axially of the plunger for a discharge of the contents and also tfor sealing a vent opening in the side wall of the cylinder. Attached to the cylinder there is a suitable ferrule for securing the yatomizcr on some bottle or other liquid container. v

With reference -to the drawings, 10 designates the cylinder of the pump or atomizer to which there is attached a ferrule 11 having screw threads 12 for attachment to a bottle or some container from which a 4liquid is to be dispensed. A washer 13 serves to seal the fernule to the Ibottle.

The cylinder has a hollow chamber 15 and bottom wall 16 in which there is an opening 17 for the drawing of liquid into the chamber 15 through a check valve 18. A bushing 20 sealed by washer 19 at the upper end of the cylinder extends inwardly into the cylinder to a l0- cation inwardly of the vent opening 21 in the side wall of the cylinder, and this bushing is recessed so as to ice provide a pa-ssageway 22 :from its lower end to the vent opening 21 which may conveniently be donel by recessing or reducing the inner end of the bushing to provide an annular space about the lower end thereof extending to a point slightly above the vent opening 21.

A exible piston 25 of plastic or the like is of general frustro conical shape, and has its lower edge substantially the size and shape of the cylindrical wall of the chamber and serves as a closure for the passageway 22 to the vent opening 21 when in its upper position against the lower end of the bushing which serves as a stop limiting the upward or outward movement of the piston. The piston is provided with an opening 26 at its upper end extending axially thereof which registers with the axial bore 27 in the plunger 28. This plunger is shaped at its lower end to engage the outer conicalvsurface of the piston for forcing the same downwardly. A head 29 is mounted at the upper end of the plunger while a nozzle 30 extends laterally from this head. This nozzle communicates with a recess 32 in the head extending axially of the plunger which in turn communicates with the bore 27 extending therethrough. The bore 27 of the plunger is enlarged as at 33 providing a shoulder 34. -The sealing pin 35 (see also FIG. 4) has a forced tit in the bore 33 with its end against shoulder 34. The sealing pin is provided with a head 36 (see also FIG. 4) which is of a frustro yconical shape on its outer sur face so as to engage the inner surface of the flexible piston 25 so as to expand the piston into tight engagement with the inner surface of the cylindrical wall of the hollow cylinder. A spring 38 engages the lower sunface of this sealing pin and forces it and the plunger upwardly. The length of this sealing pin 35 is such that when its enlarged head 36 is in engagement with the piston, the end of the plunger 28 will be spaced from the upper sur-face of the piston as at 40.

By the above arrangement, when the piston is in its upper position such as shown in FIG. 1, the enlarged portion of the sealing pin will engage the inner surface of the piston and there will be a seal between the cylinder chamber 15 and the axial opening 26 -through the piston and bore 27 through the plunger. This piston -will also in its upper position close passage 22 to the vent opening. Thus, this single piston serves as a seal for both openings through these parts by means of a single exible lip of vthe piston.

For operation, it will be apparent that upon the initial i downward movement of the plunger by means of pressure upon the head 29, the sealing pin 35 will be moved downwardly to the position shown in FIG. 2, at which pointv the plunger will just come into engagement with the upper outer surface of the piston 'as shown in this figure, thus opening the passage axially through the` plunger to the nozzle 30. Further downward movement of the plunger will serve then to move the piston downwardly as shown in FIG. 3, thereby forcing the contents i ofthe chamber 15 upwardly through the passage provided between the enlarged head 36 of the sealing pin and the under inner surface of the piston 25, thence out through the passage 27 in the plunger and out through the nozzle. When pressure is released upon the head, spring 38 will push the sealing pin up into engagement with the piston, thus sealing oli the passage through the Patented June 28, 1966 closes off at the end of its stroke both passages and provides a seal to prevent the escape of fluid from the atomizer.

In FIG. 5, a somewhat modied construction is shown in which the piston 45 is provided with a lip 46 to engage the inner surface of the cylinder 15 and is also provided with a second lip 47 which will seal the vent opening 21. The sealing pin is the same as in the other construction, and the plunger 28 is essentially the same as in the above .described construction and, likewise, the head 29, nozzle 30 and passageway 32. In the construction of FIG. 5 there is a single unit piston which provides a seal for both openings, that is, the opening axially through `the plunger and also the opening 48 through the piston. However, two lips instead of one are illustrated in this showing and further the lip 47 must pass the opening 21 in its movement.

One of the advantages of the structure shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is that the piston at no time passes the vent opening 21, and thus the piston may have a longer life by reason of there being no edge such. as formed by the opening 21 to wear the same, and the opening 21 may 'be made unlimited in size without any detrimental result to the piston.

Should there by a sudden decrease in atmospheric pressure outside of the location where the atomizer is being used, there will be a tendency for the piston to provide a tighter seal rather than a diminished seal, thus preventing the escape of the contents of the container should such differential pressure occur. This cornes about since the gas pressures acting on the sealing pin head 36 are unbalanced in the sealing direction against the end wall of bushing 20 in FIGS. 1 and 6 and against the piston 45 in FIG. 5. Additional pressure in the sealing direction is secured by the spring 3S, thus insuring a seal even if the pressure relationship is reversed by a temperature change.

FIG. 6 shows a modified form of sealing pin 50 having a hollow stem 51 with an opening 52 at its lower end which forms a passage upwardly when its head 53 is displaced from the piston by the plunger 2S.

An over cap 55 may be utilized for preventing the actuation of the head when the device is shipped or car ried in a purse.

I claim:

1. In an atomizer pump, a cylinder having a vent hole in its wall, a bushing xed in the upper end of the cylinder and extending inwardly beyond the vent hole, said bushing being recessed to provide a passage to said vent hole, a flexible piston having an axial opening therethrough in said cylinder limited in its movement in one direction by said bushing, a plunger having a head, said piston plunger and head having communicating axial openings therethrough, a sealing pin extending axially into said piston and plunger, a spring urging said pin and plunger upwardly, a sealing head on said pin to close the axial opening through said piston and plunger and flared to expand said piston to close said passage when moved upwardly by said spring, said plunger engaging said pin for initially moving it to open said axial openings through said piston and plunger, said plunger subsequently engaging said piston to move it to open the passage to said vent and move said piston inwardly of said cylinder for discharging the contents of the cylinder through said axial openings.

2. In an atomizer pump, a cylinder having a vent hole in its wall, a exible piston having an axial opening therethrough in said cylinder, means to limit the movement of the piston in one direction to prevent its passing said vent hole and providing a passage from said vent hole to the piston, a plunger having an axial opening communicating with the opening of said piston, a sealing pin extending axially into said piston and plunger, a spring urging said pin and plunger upwardly, a sealing head on said pin to close the axial opening through said piston and plunger and Flared to expand said piston to close said passage when moved upwardly by said spring, said plunger engaging said pin for initially moving it to open said axial openings through said piston and plunger, said plunger subsequently engaging said piston to move it to open the passage to said vent and move said piston inwardly of said cylinder for discharging the contents of the cylinder through said axial openings.

3. In an atomizer pump, a cylinder having a vent opening in its wall, a plunger in said cylinder having an axially extending opening therethrough to the atmosphere, a flexible piston having an axially extending opening therethrough in said cylinder located at the inner end of said piston, a sealing pin having a head engageable with said piston to seal both of said axial openings and said vent opening, and means to cause said pin and plunger to move together.

4. In an atomizer pump as in claim 3 wherein said pin has a stem extending into the axial opening of said plunger which has a forced fit therein, said stem being of a size less than said axial opening enabling the passage of-fluid therealong.

5. In an atomizer pump, a cylinder having a vent opening in its wall, a plunger in said cylinder having an axially extending opening therethrough to the atmosphere, a flexible piston having an axially extending opening therethrough in said cylinder located at the inner end of said piston, a sealing pin having a head engageable with said piston to seal both of said axial openings, a shoulder on said plunger to engage said pin and move it inwardly and a spring engaging said pin to move the pin outwardly whereby said sealing pin moves wi-th said plunger in its movements in opposite directions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 711,804 10/1902 Webster et al 103-188 3,044,413 7/1962 Corsette 103-178 MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examiner.

WARREN E. COLEMAN, Examiner. 

1. IN AN ATOMIZER PUMP, A CYLINDER HAVING A VENT HOLE IN ITS WALL, A BUSHING FIXED IN THE UPPER END OF THE CYLINDER AND EXTENDING INWARDLY BEYOND THE VENT HOLE, SAID BUSHING BEING RECESSED TO PROVIDE A PASSAGE TO SAID VENT HOLE, A FLEXIBLE PISTON HAVING AN AXIAL OPENING THERETHROUGH IN SAID CYLINDER LIMITED IN ITS MOVEMENT IN ONE DIRECTION BY SAID BUSHING, A PLUNGER HAVING A HEAD, SAID PISTON PLUNGER AND HEAD HAVING COMMUNICATING AXIAL OPENINGS THERTHROUGH, A SEALING PIN EXTENDING AXIALLY INTO SAID PISTON SAID PLUNGER, A SPRING URGING SAID PIN AND PLUNGER UPWARDLY, A SEALING HEAD ON SAID PIN TO CLOSE THE AXIAL OPENING THROUGH SAID PISTON AND PLUNGER AND FLARED TO EXPAND SAID PISTON TO CLOSE SAID PASSAGE WHEN MOVED UPWARDLY BY SAID SPRING, SAID PLUNGER ENGAGING SAID PIN FOR INITIALLY MOVING IT TO OPEN SAID AXIAL OPENINGS THROUGH SAID PISTON AND PLUNGER, SAID PLUNGER SUBSEQUENTLY ENGAGING SAID PISTON TO MOVE IT TO OPEN THE PASSAGE TO SAID VENT AND MOVE SAID PISTON INWARDLY OF SAID CYLINDER FOR DISCHARGING THE CONTENTS OF THE CYLINDER THROUGH SAID AXIAL OPENINGS. 